Replace Copyright with a Music Co-op?

Thirty-five stakeholders in the future of digital media, ranging from legal scholars to the songwriter for "The Clash," convened at Harvard Law School on Friday, December 5 to discuss a bold initiative: creating an Alternative Compensation System for Digital Media.  Participants were given a challenge -- rather than discussing the faults of the existing copyright regime, they were asked to build an alternative.  The system would resemble an entertainment co-op a system that maximizes public access to creative works but still rewards those who produce such work.

For the first half of the conference, discussion focused on building a compulsory system that would redistribute tax revenue to creators based on how often their works were downloaded.  In the afternoon, participants discussed the idea of a voluntary co-op that would generate funding from subscription fees.  Formulating the logistics of such a system may seem like a daunting task, but as online piracy of music and DVDs continues and the shortcomings of the DMCA become increasingly evident, perhaps policymakers will begin to see that a bold alternative is the best possible solution.

For more information, visit the Berkman Center's Digitial Media Project site.